Between losing at the buzzer to the Magic and Hawks, allowing the T-Wolves to drop 150, and watching Donovan Mitchell join history with 71 points … this has been one of the most gut-wrenching Bulls seasons in quite some time.
I think what’s best for my mental well-being is to move on from the Cavaliers debacle as soon as possible, so this is my last bullet point on the officiating. I’m glad Billy Donovan said what he said after Monday’s game. As ridiculous as the officiating was, the Last Two Minute Report the league releases is arguably more ridiculous. While I appreciate the sentiment of holding everyone accountable, it doesn’t at all help your product when you come out 24 hours later and say, “we actually let the wrong team win … oops!”
“It doesn’t do anything,” Donovan said of the daily L2M reports. “It’s like “were sorry,” but it could be three games in a row now. It could be at Washington, it could be the other game, it could be this game. And that’s unfortunate because I thought our guys battle and competed. And, again, we have to control what we can control. We need to blockout better … whatever it is in the last game we have to overcome things.”
Ok, I lied, this will be the last bullet point! As much as I want to sit here and say that these missed calls don’t matter … they do! It’s fair to say that the Bulls shouldn’t have been in a position for one bad call to dictate the game. And that’s the exact belief I used to console myself after that first Wizards loss. But the fact of the matter is that some games are just going to come down to the wire. This is the NBA, after all! With that being the case, it is pretty freakin’ important for the refs to make the right calls, and it stings knowing they have possibly screwed the Bulls out of a much-needed three wins so far.
NBC Sports Chicago’s Rob Schaefer evaluated a bunch of fake trade scenarios, and I highly recommend you read through some of his thoughts here. I got to admit that several of the scenarios made me raise an eyebrow, but I also think this was a good exercise to understand just how difficult it could be for the Bulls to find the proper value for their veteran assets.
I would say one of my favorite trades Schaefer walks through is Nikola Vucevic, Coby White, and the Portland pick for Myles Turner, Chris Durate, and a 2023 second-rounder. In theory, I think this does a great job of doing exactly what this front office hopes to do: Retool, get younger, and keep competing. The only problem is that Turner is going to be owed a hefty contract this offseason, and he’s also playing so well that I’m not sure the Pacers would accept just one lottery-protected first-round pick for his services (unless they have decided they plan to let him walk this summer). Adding Durate in this deal – who most definitely feels like the kind of multi-positional talent this front office likes – also would feel like a potential steal. So while I don’t see a trade like this actually getting done, I do think it best represents the kind of acquisition this front office would consider a best-case scenario. Unfortunately, as their recent roster overhaul has demonstrated, best-case scenarios rarely play out.
Lauri Markkanen was so close to making the shot of the year. The former Bull – and likely soon-to-be All-Star – made a miraculous catch-and-shoot 3 on the hail mary lob in the final sequence of the Kings-Jazz game last night. After further review, however, it was clear that Markkanen didn’t get the shot off in time to secure the buzzer-beating win. Still, the shot is worth a watch!
THIS SEQUENCE AT THE END OF JAZZ/KINGS REGULATION 🤯🤯🤯
Fox puts the Kings on top with 0.4 left… Markkanen hits a wild shot that's waived off upon review.
The Brooklyn Nets have won 12 games in a row and currently hold the NBA’s third-best net rating. So, of course, I’m sure the Bulls will keep a mind-boggling season going with their second victory over Kevin Durant and Co. tonight. Can’t wait!
Elias Schuster is the Lead Chicago Bulls writer at Bleacher Nation. He started with BN full-time in 2019 immediately after graduating from the University of Illinois Urbana Champaign with a degree in Journalism (yes, he started with the Jim Boylen Era). Since joining, Elias has been the driving force behind Bulls and NBA content for both the site and social accounts. You can follow him on Twitter/X @Schuster_Elias.
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NEWSLETTER
